Vehicle transmissions typically have multiple shift positions. For a given speed of rotation of an input shaft of the transmission, each gear, when engaged, results in a different shift position which corresponds to a different speed of rotation and/or direction of rotation of an output shaft of the transmission. Typically, in transmissions for motorcycles or all-terrain vehicles, the shift positions need to be engaged sequentially. In one example of a vehicle transmission in a three-wheel vehicle, the gears engagement sequence is: reverse shift position, first forward shift position, a neutral shift position (i.e. no gears engaged), second forward shift position, and third forward shift position. The shift positions can also be engaged in the reverse sequence.
Some transmissions have a reverse gear lock. The reverse gear lock prevents from engaging the reverse shift position when driving forward. When the reverse gear lock is actuated, the driver is prevented from downshifting to the reverse gear when only downshift to the first gear is desired. The reverse gear lock is typically activated by default, and in order to engage the reverse gear, the driver usually has to press on a button on the handlebar (or in some cases move a pedal) to release the gear locking mechanism. When the gear locking mechanism is released, the driver can access the reverse shift position as well as all the other shift positions.
Moreover, when the neutral shift position is disposed sequentially between the first and the second shift positions, the driver may find it difficult to find the neutral shift position. No gears are engaged in the neutral shift position, and the driver may hardly feel the passage through the neutral shift position when downshifting or upshifting between the first and second shift positions.
Therefore, there is a need for a vehicle transmission which at least facilitates finding the neutral shift position, and prevents the reverse shift position from being engaged when driving forward.